"What!" Max exclaimed, disbelievingly as Sharon banged the door shut.
"I'm sorry to have been the cause of all this," June said, pretending to leave. "I only wanted us to have a good time, but seeing where your preference is makes me feel awfully taken for granted. I'm human too, and I don't want to be used as a meer s*xual object to satisfy your lust."
"Wonders will never cease! You also want to call it quits?"
"What reason do I have to hang on? You have just been begging for Sharon not to leave you as if I have no impression on you. Gosh! With all that we have shared together yet all you can think of is a woman who doesn't love you, nor fit in your social class?"
"What proof do you have that she doesn't love me? Would she have ended our relationship were it not that she caught us with our pants down?"
"I knew it would happen sooner or later."
"Knew what?" He asked, rather curiously.
"C'mon, don't tell me that you haven't suspected anything!"
"Suspected anything like what?"
"No wonder she managed to colonize your mind! She has been seeing someone behind your back. That is the reason why she dumped you so easily," she rubbed it in, cunningly.
"There is no way Sharon could have cheated on me! At least, I must give her credit for that. Do you get it?"
"I have just told you as it is, whether you believe it or not, it is up to you. In fact, there was rumour in the office that he might have accompanied her to the seminar."
"Let me ask, why are you telling me now?"
"You know that it is not like me to pop my nose into other people's businesses. Besides, I never realized it untill tonight."
"Whatever! I will find out from her tomorrow before I release her, if at all she is going to make good her threat of resigning."
"I'm sure the man she has been seeing has already given both of them better terms of employment. Just wait and see, they will tender their resignations tomorrow. I'm surprised that she hasn't been straight with you after all the pampering you have given her."
"Stop it! I have had enough of her. And you, how are things between Paul and you?"
She kept quiet for some time before responding. Paul was her boyfriend, and a distant cousin of his. He was managing one of the subsidiary Companies abroad. He visited her occasionally.
"You know very well that I haven't been very much into Paul. Currently, our relationship is at a stalemate."
"How? He was here about two months ago and I saw you two together?"
"That was all. He is either too shy for my liking, or he is hiding something from me."
"What are you insinuating?"
"I'm sorry to say this, but I think he has some dysfunction. Can you imagine that for all this long the furthest we have gone is a simple, pathetic peck on the cheeks?"
"Well, not for me! Perhaps, he is being the good old gentleman. May be he is reserving himself for the honeymoon. Like he believes in the cliche that you can't eat your cake and have it?" He chuckled, despite the circumstances.
"No, he might be a gentleman, but there is something I can't figure out now. The only way I see it is that he must be having a s*xual dysfunction."
"What if he is gay? Can you rule out that possibility?"
"I don't think so. I have never seen him in the company of any of the known gays."
"In other words, you are saying that you have been starving and yearning for something like this?" He enthused, gesturing to his lower parts. "Come here, I'm gonna give it to you untill you need no more!" He added, his big arms encircling her slim waist.
* * * * *
Sharon woke up with a puffy face and red eyes. Despite her don't-care attitude towards Max's traitorous act, she had cried herself to sleep. It was hard to believe that he could betray their love after all those years . She remonstrated with herself for having lost her flower to him .
"What is it with the red eyes?" Her Grandmother asked her when she joined them at the breakfast table. "Why, didn't you sleep well?"
"I'm just fine," she lied. "It is only that I didn't get enough sleep."
"Why, did you go out? I heard the door opening at around eleven last night."
"Talk of who slept late! What were you doing up at that time?" She enthused. "Don't tell me that you have started suffering from insomnia!"
"Well, it doesn't matter at my age. Tell me, why did you go out after you had retired to your room?Did you go to see Max?"
"You are right, only that I didn't go to see him alone."
"As in you went with Christine?"
"Of course, I was with Christine, but that is not what I meant. He was with June, cheating on me!" She said, gritting her teeth.
"What! Isn't June supposed to be your best friend?" Her mother interposed.
"I thought so untill last night. She is a green snake in the grass!"
"I can't believe it! I thought you two were talking about engagement a few weeks ago? And I have been seeing him as a trustworthy young man. What happened to him?"
"I really don't know, and I don't care any more. What I know is that it is over between us. I told him as much last night," she said, sniffling.
"I'm so sorry, my dear. Don't cry, he is not worthy your tears. Your perfect Mr. Right will come along," counselled her grandmother.
"I have always known that that boy was up to no good," her mother opined. "With his pompous behaviour, his father's wealth has definitely gone into his head. That is why I thought you should have given Alex a chance."
"Who is Alex exactly?" Grandma wondered.
"I'm talking about the one and only Alex, the Head of State's son. Were it not for the uncouth Max, he had very strong feelings for her. In fact, he has never stopped being courteous with me."
"C'mon, Mum! If Max sees me below his class, how will Alex think of associating with me now that his father has ascended to the highest office in the land?" She asked, laughing despite her hurt feelings.
"You certainly don't understand matters love. Love is a strong emotion that is capable of transcending all boundaries, whether they be social, economic or racial. Nothing will stop it from blossoming between two people who are desirous of each other."
"I'm not sure I will ever again believe in the animal called love. All along, I have been duped into thinking that what I had with Max was bountiful, true love. How erroneous have I been!"
"Once bitten, twice shy! However, what happened with Max was one-sided. He took your deep feelings for him for granted, and that simply means that you two were never in love with each other. One who loves you will never even think of having a fling with your best friend. I'm sure your true love will find you."
"I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I doubt if I will ever fall in love again. At least, not in the foreseeable future. For now, I would like to concentrate on developing my career. By the way, have I told you that I'm resigning from his company?"
"What! You can't be serious!"
"Never have I been more serious. I have already drafted the resignation letter which I'm intending to submit to him while I clear my office."
"You need to think twice about resigning. What would you be doing? Besides, he might make it difficult for you to find work with his influence. Your salary means so much, you know?" Her mother pleaded.
"That is where you are wrong, Mum. I'm not intending to get employed by any one. I'm going to start my own research company, no matter how small. The seminar we just attended was an eye-opener."
"But how? Where are you going to get the funds from?"
"Don't you worry, something else will come up along the way. In the meantime, I will start with the little that I have saved. Besides, I'm not alone, Christine is also coming along with me."
"You mean that she is also resigning?"
"You are right. Between us, I'm sure we will raise just enough to start off. Gosh!" She said after checking her watch. "I have to get there earlier to do the clearing before he comes in. Cheer up, all will be well. See you later," she added, heading to the door.
* * * * *
Christine had found it hard to go to sleep without informing Job about the happenstance between Max and Sharon. Like the two, Job was her heart's love for as long as she could remember and both were planning to carry it to the next level. She could not imagine what she could have done were the same circumstances as had met Sharon to befell her in relation to Job.
"Gosh! I could have skinned that scoundrel alive!" She muttered to herself as she waited for Job to pick up the call.
"Hello, gorgeous!" Job said from his end. "Missing me? It is unlike you not to be in sweet slumberland by now. What is up, babe?"
"You can say that again! Sleep has taken leave of me."
"Why, is anything bothering you?"
"Max and Sharon's thing has hit rock bottom!"
"What? I thought the two were a real item?"
"And so did she, at least, untill a few minutes ago. Can you imagine that we caught him red-handed cheating with June?"
"Holy Virgin Mary! Isn't June supposed to be her best friend?"
"She has always been having hot pants for him! And this time she couldn't keep them on." She said, laughing at her own joke.
"And Max has always been a Casanova! It is only that I feared being labeled a wet blanket. Now, what next for her? I know she must be quite heartbroken."
"You can say that again! But she has decided to move own. Can you imagine that she didn't even lay a finger on that sl*ut? I swear I could have clawed her face raw!"
"Is that meant to intimidate me into total fidelity?" He chuckled.
"Just to make sure that the ground rules are laid. I will never stand a philindering scumbag."
"Just make sure you don't give me cause to become one."
"Anyway, I just wanted you to know. Poor Sharon is throwing in the sack tomorrow morning, and so do I."
"You know what? Alex can do with intelligent and diligent hands. In fact, he will be more enthusiastic to have Sharon around him! Did you know that he has been making passes at her for as long as I can remember?"
"Of course, but he isn't her idea of a perfect match! Besides, we aren't intent on getting employed. We want to be our own bosses, you know?"
"I see, but Alex is going to be even more persuasive with Max out of the picture. He will be thrilled, just wait untill I give him a call. I might pop in tomorrow to see you resigning."
"I will appreciate it. Good night, babe," she said, blowing him a kiss.
"You too, and sleep tight."
* * * * *
Max arrived at his office the following morning earlier than usual. He had not slept well after the nasty confrontation with Sharon. The glaring reality that she might actually dump him had hit him hard after his short, flirty romping with June. He could not raise to the occasion the second time as his lustful desire dissipated rapidly. It was when he had realized that despite his braggadocio, what he felt for June was nothing but lust. There was no connection as was with Sharon.
He had thought of ways to try and convince her to come back to him, but he could find none having been caught with his pants down. Nevertheless, he was prepared to use any means necessary to get her back into his life.
"What the hell was I thinking playing about with June?" He muttered to himself, regrettably.
He looked at a file that had been placed on his table. It contained the formula of a new invention that the company was working on that would put it on top of the best World research facilities. It was Sharon's idea, but all the rights belonged to the Company.
Suddenly, a devious plan cropped up in his mind. He plucked the formula off the file and called Jose, his personal assistant, over the intercom.
"Take this and discreetly put it in Sharon's personal files," he instructed Jose, extending the paper to him. "Make sure no one sees you doing it, do you understand?"
"Yes, boss," responded Jose. He knew better than to argue with his boss.
"And when Christine and her come in, let them know that I want to see the two of them." He waved him away.
Sharon and Christine arrived thirty minutes later and got busy clearing their work stations after tendering their resignation letters. They were moving out when Jose approached and informed them that the boss was desirous of seeing them.
"What for?" Sharon asked, quite infuriated. She did not feel like seeing him after the previous night's episode. "Tell him we have nothing to talk with him!" She added, starting down the stairs.
Jose turned and hurried back to relay the response.
"Sir, they have cleared their offices, but they refuse to see you. In fact, they are on their way out as we speak."
"Refuse? How can they leave without clearing with me? Go and tell the security to search them. If anything belonging to the company is found on them, let them be arrested."
"No woman jilts me and gets off!" He muttered to himself as Jose closed the door behind him. "Let's see how far your pride gets you. I will make you so miserable that you will come running back to me begging to get back!" He swore to himself.
A skirmish ensued outside as the security guards descended on Sharon and Christine, intent on searching through their items. The two protested, but try as they could, they could not match the men's strength. Finally, they gave in to the search.
Max's personal assistant started searching through the bags just Job and Alex drove in through the gate.
Max appeared on the balcony only to see Alex standing next to Sharon. His heart skipped a beat. He was aware that Alex had been trying to win Sharon's heart for so long. He recalled what June had told him about Sharon seeing some other man. So, it was true after all! Was it a coincidence that he happened to be there at that particular moment?
With his heart doing summersaults in his chest, he watched as Jose fished a document from one of Sharon's files and hold it up.
"And where do you think you were taking this, Ma'am?" Jose asked her. "This is the property of the company, you know?"
"I don't know how it got into my files!" Sharon protested. "Someone must have put it there intentionally!"
"Why would someone take the trouble of doing so?"
"I don't know, but I swear I wouldn't do such a thing."
"Wait, why is it a big deal that it happens to be among her files?" Alex interposed. "It is possible for it to have gotten mixed because she has been working on the project, don't you think so?"
"F*ck off my damn business!" Max growled from the balcony. "But if you must know, that is tantamount to stealing of sensitive company information. Who knows if they intend to sell the formula to our competitors?"
"But you have found it, is there any problem if they leave now?" Alex insisted.
"Only the courts will decide on that. Guards, detain the two of them! The police are on their way to take them into custody," Max said with finality and turned away from the balcony.
"Wait! You possibly can't do this to us!" Sharon called after him, but in vain.